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The Three Appearances of Jesus, 2

Published August 21, 2014 Uncategorized Leave a Comment

HOW AND WHEN: THE THIRD APPEARANCE

Hebrews 9:24—28 teaches us something very important about Christ and His glorious work of salvation.

For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Christ appeared the first time on earth as a baby, grew up as a man, and gave His life as a Savior. He then appeared in Heaven, His second appearance, to continue His work as our Savior, where He intercedes with the Father on our behalf. Christ’s third and final appearance will be His Second Coming to earth, which is yet to occur. These three appearances of Chris correspond to the three phases of our salvation:

He saved us, when He appeared the first time, by way of Atonement made on the Cross;
He saves us, as He intercedes for us in Heaven, His second appearance (Romans 8:34);
He will save us, when He appears on earth the second time, His third appearance (Matthew 10:22; etc.).

Christ’s work on the Cross occurred during His first appearance. This is well-known. Lesser known is Christ’s work right now, in heaven. It surprises many Christians to know that not only are they saved (past tense), but they are being saved (present tense) by Christ’s current intercession. Think about this. The work on the Cross is finished; His sacrifice was once and for all. But the Cross was not the end of Christ’s work. He’s not loafing about heaven, taking it easy! When you sin, when you falter, when you are weak and weary in your faith, Jesus continues to work on your behalf by praying for you and by going to the Father for you. Your salvation is maintained by the work of Jesus right now.

Let’s turn out attention to our Lord’s third appearance.

Which appearance?

Before Jesus appears for the third time, the second time on earth, He will actually appear in the clouds, seen by no one, for the sole purpose of removing His people from the earth. The doctrine of “the Rapture of the saints” is believed by a great swath of the Christian church, which likes to refer to the Rapture “the blessed hope of believers.” Since this great doctrine is either questioned or dismissed outright by some segments of the church, theologians don’t refer to it as a “primary doctrine,” but a “secondary doctrine.” Those of us who believe in the doctrine of the Rapture have no issue whatsoever with those who don’t. Since our salvation doesn’t’ depend on it, the Rapture is what Paul might call “a debatable matter.” People of good faith can disagree on whether or not there will be a rapture and still get along. Or at least they should. My experience has been that those who dismiss the rapture doctrine lower themselves to ridicule those who of us who hold to it. It’s strange how a debatable Biblical doctrine threatens them so much.

At any rate, it goes like this: When Jesus comes for His people, they will be “caught up” to meet Him in the air. This, in a sentence, is the rapture.

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17 NIV)

This is NOT the Second Coming. Nobody will see Jesus at this appearance except for the saints. After the rapture, there will be span of, at most, seven years—the Great Tribulation—after which our Lord will make His third appearance, His Second Coming to earth. At this time, everybody eye shall behold Him.

“Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen. (Revelation 1:7 NIV)

How will He appear?

So, how will the great Second Coming happen? Actually, the Bible gives us quite a lot of information about it! The Second Coming will be—

Certain.

There is NO DEBATE about whether or not Jesus will come back to earth a second time. It is an absolute certainty. Among the numerous Bible verses referencing the Second Coming are these:

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:3 NIV)

“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11 NIV)

These verses, and others like them, are not referring the coming of death but to the second literal, physical coming of Jesus Christ.

Personal.

Read the words of Acts 1:11 and there is no way you can interpret that as referring to anything other than a personal appearing of Jesus. It’s not a “spiritual coming” being referred to nor the coming of the Holy Spirit. The fact is simple: Jesus will be coming to the earth, literally and physically.

Sudden.

Jesus will return suddenly and without warning. It will simply happen at the time of HIS choosing.

“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. (Malachi 3:1—3a NIV)

For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. (Matthew 24:27 NIV)

Visible.

Unlike the rapture, and unlike His first coming that most Jews missed out on, when Jesus returns His appearance will be visible. Or maybe a better word might be: obvious. When Jesus returns, it will be obvious what’s going on; there will be no question about the event.

People will flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth. (Isaiah 2:19 NIV)

“You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matthew 26:64 NIV)

Glorious.

When Jesus came the first time, it was anything but a glorious appearing! Jesus was born as a baby, in the humblest of circumstances. Almost nobody knew that the Messiah had come! Nobody really cared. But the Second Coming will be an event such as earth has never experienced before.

…while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ… (Titus 2:13 NIV)

“At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.” (Mark 13:26 NIV)

With the saints.

Here’s a point that doesn’t get a lot of press. When Jesus returns, the saints—we—will be coming back with Him!

“See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” (Jude 14, 15 NIV)

When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:14 NIV)

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. (1 John 3:2, 3 NIV)

To establish righteousness.

… to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him. (Jude 15 NIV)

…let them sing before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity. (Psalm 98:9 NIV)

Why is this important?

Many Christians think the Second Coming and the study of Eschatology are a waste of time. “Souls are in peril,” they say. Many are of the opinion that if “John Calvin didn’t write about it, then it doesn’t matter.” And there are those whose knowledge of Eschatology is limited to the sentence or two in the Westminster Confession Faith. But Jesus thought it was a good idea for believers to keep His return always in mind.

So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 24:44—51 NIV)

And John tells us that the hope of Christ’s coming purifies us (1 John 3:3). The overarching teaching of the New Testament is that it is good, if not essential, for all believers to live in the tension between the hope of His coming and the fact the Gospel must be preached to all nations.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14 NIV)

Our Glorious Salvation 3

Published August 20, 2014 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: salvation

Humans sin. That is a statement of fact. Humans will sin no matter what their environment. That’s because sin comes from the inside out, not the outside in. Of course we are tempted to sin from without. However, the nature of man is sinful. Put man in a sterile environment and he will find a way to sin. No wonder man needs help! All the rules, regulations and laws a society puts in place will do nothing to curb man’s sinful impulse. Try as he might, man cannot eradicate sin on earth; there’s no chance of man creating Utopia.

But there is hope. God has created a plan of salvation that takes care of both the personal and social aspects of life. Save a man’s soul, and his whole life will necessarily change. The Holy Spirit comes to dwell in him, saving him, convicting him of sin, leading him in God’s will and enabling him to live a God-pleasing life. The Holy Spirit teaches us about ourselves and our God. In doing so, as Augustine taught, man is given a desire for God’s truth and finds joy in the things of the Spirit.

A lot takes place at conversion, that’s for sure. Let’s take a look at God’s plan of salvation and discover what it’s all about.

Repentance from sin, (Acts 2:36 – 41)

Entrance into the “new Israel,” verses 36, 39

Therefore I clearly state to everyone in Israel that God has made this Jesus you crucified to be the Lord, the Messiah! (Acts 2:36 TLB)

For Christ promised him to each one of you who has been called by the Lord our God, and to your children and even to those in distant lands! (Acts 2:39 TLB)

Those words were spoken by Peter as part of his Pentecostal sermon. Peter preached this sermon following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and he preached it to his people, Jews. In the course of this tremendous sermon, Peter urged his listeners to recognize that Jesus is both Lord and Christ. He did this by talking about Jesus’ life, death and resurrection and linking those things to God’s plan. He also, to the shame of the Jews, emphasized their responsibility for the death of Jesus.

It was essential that the Jews understand that Jesus is their Messiah. However, He isn’t just their Messiah, but He is the Messiah “even to those in distant lands.” This was a new idea Peter was introducing. A Jewish Messiah that would save even Gentiles! This was a huge pill for the Jews to follow. It’s not insignificant that Peter introduced it. Later on, he would have issues with just eating with Gentiles!

What is important to note is that God made Jesus the Messiah. No human agent did that. God made Jesus the Messiah and it is up to Jews and Gentiles to accept that. In his sermon, Peter did just what God did: he laid out the facts then left it up to the audience to decide the truth the message. Or, to use Peter’s own words, God calls. But we must answer. That decision allows the Spirit to do His work of putting us into God’s family.

Initiation into the faith, verses 37, 38; 40, 41

Peter’s sermon must have hit the bull’s eye! Somebody shouted out: What shall we do? His answer is classic:

Each one of you must turn from sin, return to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; then you also shall receive this gift, the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38 TLB)

This is the essence of salvation: the forgiveness of sins. Verse 38 in no way suggests that in order for sins to be forgiven one must be baptized in water. Salvation results in faith in Jesus as Savior, not in some symbolic exercise. What Peter was getting at was one must be baptized because of the forgiveness of sins. When this crowd, moved by both Peter’s stirring sermon and the Holy Spirit, repented, their sins were forgiven and they wanted to take the next step: baptism.

A.C. Dixon’s comments on salvation are interesting and worth a look at:

We need a quickening of faith; faith in the power of the God of Pentecost to convict and convert three thousand in a day. Faith, not in a process of culture by which we hope to train children into a state of salvation, but faith in the mighty God who can quicken the dead soul into life in a moment; faith in moral and spiritual revolution rather than evolution.

He’s right about that. The church in the twenty-first century is all about evolution; all about teaching and training children on how to be good Christians. When the time is right, we haul them in front of the church or the board of elders, have them make a confession of faith (which they had previously rehearsed), and *bingo* that child is saved.

Or is he? Can an unsaved child evolve into a child of God? Can any unrepentant sinner “ooze” in Christianity just by hanging around other Christians? Not if you follow New Testament precedent. Dixon was right; faith is not a process. It is something that happens in a moment, when a decision is made.

Confess Jesus as Lord, Romans 10:5 – 13

Confession as “covenant renewal,” verses 5 – 8

For Moses wrote that if a person could be perfectly good and hold out against temptation all his life and never sin once, only then could he be pardoned and saved. But the salvation that comes through faith says, “You don’t need to search the heavens to find Christ and bring him down to help you,” and, “You don’t need to go among the dead to bring Christ back to life again.” For salvation that comes from trusting Christ—which is what we preach—is already within easy reach of each of us; in fact, it is as near as our own hearts and mouths. (TLB)

These verses occur in the midst of larger discussion on the state of Judaism after the coming of Jesus as the true Messiah. Paul was very concerned that so many of his people had rejected Jesus in spite of his best efforts. As far as obedience to the law was concerned, Paul made it clear the law was no longer necessary. That flew in the face of what the Jews believed; that the law was a prerequisite for having everlasting life.

Jesus took the complication out of salvation. And Paul used the teaching of Deuteronomy to drive home his point:

Obeying these commandments is not something beyond your strength and reach; for these laws are not in the far heavens, so distant that you can’t hear and obey them, and with no one to bring them down to you; nor are they beyond the ocean, so far that no one can bring you their message; but they are very close at hand—in your hearts and on your lips—so obey them. (Deuteronomy 30:11 – 14 TLB)

Well, as good as that sounds, the history of Judaism has shown it doesn’t work. Thankfully, with the coming of Jesus, God had altered this formula, putting Jesus above the law. He’s allowed to do that, being God and all. Now, instead of dealing with “the law” in order to be saved, simple faith has been introduced. Confessing your faith in the work of Christ is all that is necessary. Faith operates on the basis of the Word of the Gospel; the message of Christ, not of the words of the law. This was a monumental shift in thinking. Thanks to Jesus, salvation could come immediately; the moment one hears the Gospel, believes and confesses, he’s saved! The old way, in theory and practice salvation took forever; only after slogging through the myriad of rules and regulations.

Sinclair Ferguson, Scottish theologian, professor at Redeemer Seminary in Dallas, had said something interesting about this:

So what is the place of the law in the life of the Christian? Simply this: We are no longer under the law to be condemned by it, we are now “in-lawed” to it because of our betrothal to Christ! He has written the law, and love for it, into our hearts.

Confession as “personal renewal,” verses 9 – 13

Verses 9 and 10 describe the two-fold component of faith: (1) “If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord”; (2) “believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead.” Those are the two components of faith that “get the job done” as far as your salvation is concerned. Don’t be afraid to “confess” or testify out loud that Jesus is Lord; that He is your King and Sovereign. Believe in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Without these two elements, there is no faith; no salvation. Moody famously said,

Believing and confessing go together; and you cannot be saved without both. ‘With the mouth confession is made unto salvation.’

If the two components of faith are in verses 9 and 10, the next three verses give us the three blessings that those who have made Jesus Lord receive:

For the Scriptures tell us that no one who believes in Christ will ever be disappointed. Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect: they all have the same Lord who generously gives his riches to all those who ask him for them. Anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. (Romans 10:11 – 13 TLB)

Receive salvation by faith

Faith alone brings justification, Galatians 2:16; 3:21 – 26

The background of Galatians is, in part, a response to a confrontation Paul had with Peter. It’s hard to believe, but even in the infant years of the church, there were confrontations among the leadership. This particular confrontation had to do with Peter’s moral cowardice. He had been eating with some Christian Gentiles until a group of Jewish Christians arrived from Jerusalem. This group of Jews still clung to certain Jewish rituals believing they were also necessary for salvation. When they showed up, Peter excused himself from the table of fellowship. In other words, Peter was a big Christian chicken who was afraid to actually live the freedom of the Gospel provided. This drove Paul crazy. What Peter did, as far as he was concerned, was the height of compromise. In seeking to placate his friends from Jerusalem, Peter had severely compromised the full Gospel.

The goal of Jesus was not to turn Gentiles into Jews into Christians, but to turn both Jews and Gentiles into Christians.

We are no longer Jews or Greeks or slaves or free men or even merely men or women, but we are all the same—we are Christians; we are one in Christ Jesus. And now that we are Christ’s we are the true descendants of Abraham, and all of God’s promises to him belong to us. (Galatians 3:28 TLB)

No law or set of rules and regulations can make a person right before God. That’s what justification is all about: being just or right before God. It is Jesus who justifies the sinner.

Where the righteousness of Christ is imputed to an individual, a principle of holiness is imparted to him; the former can only be ascertained by the latter. (A. W. Pink)

Faith alone produces good works, Ephesians 2:8—10

Because of his kindness, you have been saved through trusting Christ. And even trusting is not of yourselves; it too is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done, so none of us can take any credit for it. It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others. (TLB)

These incredible verses show us what salvation is really all about. We were dead in our sin, God saved us by His grace alone, raising us up to heavenly places in Christ Jesus, and we will be – some day – in heaven manifesting the grace of God for all the universe to see. In these verses, we see the fullness of the work of Christ done on our behalf: past, present, and future.

None of this depended or depends on anything we have done. It’s all His grace. We define grace as “God’s unmerited (or undeserved) favor,” but maybe a better definition would be “God’s love in action.” God saved us because He loved us. The faith we place in Jesus and His work not only results in our salvation but that faith enables us to do good works. It empowers us to live the way God wants us to.

Dale Coulter, who teaches at Regent University, wrote:

God takes the broken material of our lives and re-fashions it into something beautiful. Salvation is God’s gift to help us lead beautiful lives that show forth the glory of the Artist.

Well put.

Our Glorious Salvation, 2

Published August 19, 2014 Uncategorized Leave a Comment

God’s big plan was not behind His creation of the material universe. It was much, much bigger than that. God’s big plan was His plan of salvation. Part of the plan is grace. What most Christians know about grace is what they’ve been taught in Sunday school or heard in a sermon. It goes something like this: God’s unmerited favor. That’s a good, basic definition and it describes how most of us view grace – an external aspect of God’s nature, that is, a manifestation of His great love for us. There is another aspect of grace we don’t think much about; an inner aspect. God’s grace is not only external, but internal – as in in us. God’s grace is His power working in us.

For God is at work within you, helping you want to obey him, and then helping you do what he wants. (Philippians 2:13 TLB)

That’s God’s grace! And it’s just part of His great big plan of salvation.

Let’s consider that plan by looking as some Scriptures. There’s no way I can do a study of this topic in one post and do it justice. But grab your Bible and we’ll do our best by beginning at the beginning: at the dawn of Creation, in the Garden of Eden. Never let it be said that God took His time letting the grass grow under His feet! When it came to the salvation of His creation, He initiated His plan immediately.

Salvation promised, Genesis 3:15, 21; Isaiah 51:4-11

Grace initiates the Promise, Gen. 3:15, 21

And I will put enmity between you and the woman,and between your offspring and hers;he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. (Genesis 3:15 NIV84)

The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21 NIV84)

Some people wonder why the “fall of man” can be traced back to something as seemingly insignificant as a mouthful of fruit. The sin, however, wasn’t in the eating, it was in Adam and Eve’s preferring the serpent’s word to God’s Word. God told them NOT to eat the fruit from that one particular tree; the serpent – Satan – told them to go ahead and eat it. Simply put, they chose to listen to the wrong voice; they rebelled against God.

The moment they bit into that fruit, everything changed. All of a sudden, the paradise in which God had placed them seemed to change. Had it really? Paradise hadn’t changed yet; they had.

To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. (Titus 1:15 NIV84)

The first couple were no longer pure. Once they were completely at ease with each other, yet now they were embarrassed by their nakedness and sought to cover themselves up.

The serpent had promised them knowledge. They got it; they now knew experientially real evil.

God’s judgment was swift and began with the serpent. In a courtroom-like setting, God acting as Judge passed a dreadful sentence on the serpent, who was really Satan. Genesis 3:15, known as the “protoevangelium” (first gospel) records Satan’s death sentence. It’s also the first prophecy is Scripture. The Devil knows what his fate will be. He is destined to remain a miserable failure until his head is finally crushed by the Son of God, the Second Adam.

It’s interesting to read of how God sought out Adam and Eve, who hid from Him after they had sinned. Read this verse carefully:

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. (Genesis 3:8 NIV84)

They heard “the sound,” not “the voice” of God. They weren’t in fellowship any longer with their Creator. They feared meeting up with Him. When at last God found the pair, He did an unexpected thing: He made them simple clothing. Why did He do that? This is an example – the first among many – of grace. God provided something Adam and Eve needed. Actually, they needed many things at this point. Ultimately, of course, salvation was initiated back in Genesis 3:15, but the fulfillment of that prophecy hasn’t happened yet, even in our day! The pair’s immediate need was clothing. God sacrificed an animal to provide a covering for man. The interpretations of that single divine act range from things like, God wanting man to wear clothes to man’s sin resulting in the sacrifice of an animal to the idea of the necessity of sacrifice itself; a kind of foreshadow of Christ’s sacrifice. Or maybe God just gave them some clothing because they needed some. No matter how you chose to interpret what happened here, God gave man what he needed in man’s here-and-now. God is still doing that today. God has made a way for man to spend eternity in Heaven, but God also makes sure all of man’s needs for today are met.

You just can’t sing Amazing Grace enough.

Grace sustains the promise, Isa. 51:4-11

The book of Isaiah is one of those Bible books that divides up easily in terms of content and context. Chapters 1-39 deal with the prophet’s warnings to Judah concerning the coming Babylonian exile, and chapters 40-66 present God’s promises (prophecies) in the midst of that exile.

For over 20 years (600-580 BC), Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, led a total of three devastating assaults on Judah. During those assaults, citizens were deported to the Babylonian empire. By the end of the final assault, Nebuchadnezzar had deported most, but not all, of the Jews and completely destroyed Jerusalem.

The group of verses in Isaiah 51 were written during the exile and were meant to encourage the faith of those exiles. The salient point of these verses is the frequent use of the possessive “my.” God is speaking to HIS people, HIS nation, and He promises HIS deliverance and HIS salvation. These people, living in exile, needed to know God was still with them. Even though Isaiah, and other prophets, warned them that the exile was God’s punishment for their disobedience, they also comforted the people with God’s promise of deliverance and restoration. Who would not be comforted by words like these:

The ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing;everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them,and sorrow and sighing will flee away. (Isaiah 51:11 NIV84)

God’s promises of deliverance, restoration, and salvation go far beyond the Jewish people. Certainly they are at the center of His big plan of salvation, but salvation is for all people. The promise was given back in Genesis and here in Isaiah the Lord continues to remind His people of that promise. Thomas Manton, puritan clergyman, wrote:

One way to get comfort is to plead the promise of God in prayer, show Him His handwriting; God is tender of His word.

Salvation foretold, Isaiah 55:1-7; Jeremiah 31:31-34

A call to new life, Isa. 55:1-7

Isaiah had been preaching to the Jewish exiles living in Babylon, but here in chapter 55 the call to salvation is universal in scope. This makes complete sense since God’s salvation is for all men.

Why spend your money on food that doesn’t give you strength? Why pay for groceries that do you no good? Listen and I’ll tell you where to get good food that fattens up the soul! (Isaiah 55:2 TLB)

Isaiah was a not only a prophet, but he was an effective preacher known for using contemporary, homey illustrations to put his points across. He was also very familiar with the Wisdom Literature, especially this passage:

Come, you simple ones without good judgment; come to wisdom’s banquet and drink the wines that I have mixed. Leave behind your foolishness and begin to live; learn how to be wise. (Proverbs 9:4-6 TLB)

When you read verses like these, you get an impression of generosity – God’s generosity. The new life – a life which is the result of God’s salvation – is a life of abundance, spiritual and otherwise. The new life comes after an expression of repentance for the old life, and repenting means far more than merely regret. A good way to think of repentance is thinking along the lines of a “cost-benefit analysis.” When you stop to compare what God is offering you in terms of a new life versus what you have now, then consider what the cost of this new life is, why would you NOT choose God’s new life? It only makes sense.

A new covenant, Jer. 31:31-34

“The time is coming,” declares the Lord,“when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. (Jeremiah 31:31 (NIV84)

Along with a new life, God wanted to make a new covenant with His people to replace the old one. This is what some Bible scholars refer to as a “mountain-peak” passage. It certainly is the climax of Jeremiah’s book to be sure. What makes it even more “mountain-peak-ish” is the fact the the prophet wrote these verses while he was imprisoned. In this “new covenant,” the law is replaced by grace. No longer will the law be an external thing, instead it will be internal – it will be written on the hearts of God’s people. Charles Feinberg, in his excellent commentary on Jeremiah, provides a useful outline of the fullness of this revelation of a “new covenant”:

The time of the covenant: “at his coming,” verse 31
The Maker of the covenant: “the Lord,” verses 3, 20, 32, 35
The name of the covenant: “new,” Romans 11:27; Hebrews 8:6-13; etc.
The parties of the covenant: “the house of Israel,” “the house of Judah,” Ezek. 37:15-19; Rom. 9:4-5
The contrasted covenant (vs. 32): not like the old covenant, based on merit, works, keeping rules and regulations, easy to break, dead-end, not life-giving.
The nature of the new covenant (vs. 33-34): not dependent on any external rules or regulations nor open to human interpretation; written on the heart not on tablets of stone; gives immediate knowledge of and fellowship with God, forgiveness of sins, and peace.

Salvation provided, Ephesians 2:4-7; Titus 3:3-7

God’s mercy is rich, Eph. 2:4-7

But God is so rich in mercy; he loved us so much 5that even though we were spiritually dead and doomed by our sins, he gave us back our lives again when he raised Christ from the dead—only by his undeserved favor have we ever been saved… (Ephesians 2:4, 5 TLB)

Paul paints a bleak picture of life away from God before reminding them of what God has done for them. All of God’s generous promises given throughout the Old Testament are fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

God’s love is extravagant, Titus 3:3-7

…he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:5-7 NIV84)

And once again we read about God’s generosity. There’s a definite continuity of thought here. God is crazy generous. His plan of salvation is based on His generosity. But God must be generous because of the bad shape we were in when He found us. So it’s a good thing God is “rich in mercy.” We need as much as we can get.

Of importance here is that God’s great big plan of salvation is made possible through the work of His Son and His Holy Spirit. Jesus made the way, the Holy Spirit makes it possible.

The Pleasing Walk

Published August 13, 2014 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: Enoch, the pleasing walk, walk with God

The Pleasing Walk

And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. (Genesis 5:24 NKJV)

That’s a very strange verse. Just those two phrases, “and he was not” and “God took him” are baffling. Some people find them startling. People die, right? People just don’t vanish, right? Well, not in the case of Enoch. He was unique among all men. He “walked with God,” meaning he lived a righteous life that pleased God greatly. In fact, he pleased God so much that God translated him – God beamed him up to heaven – so that Enoch did not die. It’s obvious that there was a connection between Enoch’s walk and his translation.

What is the “walk” pleases God? Paul’s letter to the Ephesians gives us a clue in chapters 4 through 6. Let’s take a look.

Live a purposeful life and a holy life

If you read the New Testament, not just the four chapters in Ephesians, you’ll get the correct impression that how we conduct ourselves in public is vitally important. How we behave, especially in front of unbelievers, reflects on our Savior. Our character ought to reflect His; when it doesn’t we make Him look bad. Of course we know that salvation is a work of grace – an unrepentant sinner doesn’t clean himself up in order to get saved, he comes to Christ singing, “Just as I am, without one plea.” Christ does the saving. But after that seminal event, the life that new convert lives is up to him. Christ won’t live his life and He won’t coerce that new believer to live a certain way. Living of a life of holiness is something all believers must do themselves. The Holy Spirit will help them, but we who call ourselves “Christians” must purposefully live lives of holiness and righteousness that will reflect positively on the One who saved us. Living this way frequently means living a way that we may not want to. Just because you are a Christian, don’t think for a minute holy living will come easily or naturally. It won’t. It’s something you work at every day. But the more you work at; the more you say, “No” to your desires in favor of God’s, the easier it will become and God will reveal more of His will for you.

And so, dear brothers, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living sacrifice, holy—the kind he can accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you. (Romans 12:1, 2 TLB)

Live in unity and peace

The walk that pleases God is a walk of unity and peace. Not unity or peace with the world, but with the Body of Christ.

Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Try always to be led along together by the Holy Spirit and so be at peace with one another. (Ephesians 4:2, 3 TLB)

How wonderful the Church of Jesus Christ would look if we actually tried to just get along each other! Unfortunately, a lot of our churches look like the Corinthian church.

For some of those who live at Chloe’s house have told me of your arguments and quarrels, dear brothers. Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul”; and others say that they are for Apollos or for Peter; and some that they alone are the true followers of Christ. And so, in effect, you have broken Christ into many pieces. (1 Corinthians 1:11 – 13 TLB)

Arguments and strife can ruin a church in no time, weaken its testimony in the community, grieve the Lord and cause members to leave. When our churches look like the one in Corinth, they lose their effectiveness for Christ. This is why living in unity and at peace with one another is so important. Remember, we are to reflect the character of God. Members of the Trinity all get along. God doesn’t nitpick and argue with Himself. We need to work hard at getting along with other members of the Body of Christ.

Practice Godly speech

Don’t use bad language. Say only what is good and helpful to those you are talking to, and what will give them a blessing. (Ephesians 4:29 TLB)

That’s pretty clear. A person is known by the words he uses. If you listen to a person talking, you can tell where he’s from and often how much education he has. This is true of the Christian life. Godly speech does NOT come naturally.

…throw off your old evil nature—the old you that was a partner in your evil ways—rotten through and through, full of lust and sham. (Ephesians 4:22 TLB)

Get along with your family

If you look at Ephesians 4, 5 and 6, Paul gives definite instructions for the Christian home. Christian homes ought to be a little piece of “heaven on earth” for its members, but too often they feel more like “hell on earth.” Tension and contention fill our homes, and it shouldn’t be that way. Parents and children need to get along. Children need to obey their parents, but Christian parents need to raise their children in a way that is pleasing to God and causes those children to draw closer to Him. Too many don’t. There are a lot of lazy Christian parents out there. Children don’t raise themselves. They need the guidance that can only from parents who themselves are being guided by the Lord. The next generation of Christians is being raised right now. Their character is being formed right now. If you are a Christian parent, what do your children think of your walk with the Lord?

Avoid all sin

Take no part in the worthless pleasures of evil and darkness, but instead, rebuke and expose them. (Ephesians 5:11 TLB)

“Worthless pleasures” are those things that draw you away for God. They wreck your relationship with Christ and other Christians. Many a Christian has begun to backslide when engaging in behavior that is, by some accounts, “slightly sinful.” There is no such thing as a “slight sin.” The Devil knows our Achilles heel; he knows what will distract us; knock us off the straight and narrow. It’s not easy shunning sin. God knows that and that’s why He provides a special blessing for those who do.

He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. (Psalm 1:3 NKJV)

Walk in love

Just as certain as “God is love,” so Christians must love each other. 1 Corinthians 13 is known as “the love chapter” because everything you need to know about love you can find in it. If we don’t have love for each other, then everything we do – from preaching the Gospel to missions to whatever else we do in service to the Lord – is in vain. That’s how important love it.

If anyone says “I love God,” but keeps on hating his brother, he is a liar; for if he doesn’t love his brother who is right there in front of him, how can he love God whom he has never seen? And God himself has said that one must love not only God but his brother too. (1 John 4:20, 21 TLB)

Redeem the time

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15, 16 NKJV)

To “redeem the time” means “making the most of every opportunity.” There is a limited amount of time every day. Indeed, each of us has limited time on this earth. Are we wasting it? What do we do all day? How do we spend our “down time?” Here’s the thing: as Christians, our time is not our own. We don’t have the right to do what we want, when we want. We owe God our time. Are we doing what we can to build the kingdom? Are we (not just living Godly lives, which is important) doing something proactive and productive for the kingdom of God? These are all good questions that believers need to be asking themselves regularly. It’s so easy to get caught up in other things. Even legitimate, worthwhile things can crowd out the spiritual things, leaving us worse off. Longstaff’s lyrics speak volumes:

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.

Walk in the Spirit

I advise you to obey only the Holy Spirit’s instructions. He will tell you where to go and what to do, and then you won’t always be doing the wrong things your evil nature wants you to. (Galatians 5:16 TLB)

And that’s that. If we as Christians can do what Paul told the Galatians to do in this single verse, we would be living lives that glorify God. Surrender and obedience to God, the Holy Spirit, is the only way we can gain the victory of sin in our lives. We must learn to hear His voice, follow His instructions, and He will enable us to live holy lives.

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